


sinking man

by BananasofThorns



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Enderman Hybrid Ranboo (Video Blogging RPF), Gen, Light Angst, Missing Scene, Techno cares but he won't admit it, kind of, set during Doomsday
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-15 15:15:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 900
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28815465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BananasofThorns/pseuds/BananasofThorns
Summary: A look into Techno and Ranboo's interactions during Doomsday.
Relationships: Ranboo & Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 337





	sinking man

**Author's Note:**

> [title from Sinking Man - Of Monsters and Men]
> 
> I've been wanting to write this since the Doomsday streams happened and I just. didn't. but now I have, so enjoy!

“What the heck is ‘ _ Do not read’ _ ?” Techno mutters, barely audible over the cacophony of the fight.

Ranboo freezes midstep, nearly tripping over a piece of rubble. He spins, so fast that he almost overbalances, and scans the battlefield until he finds Techno bent over Quackity’s fading body. 

“ _ Do not read,” _ he whispers. “He has  _ Do not read.” _

Overhead, a wither screams, and he ducks just before it lobs a sizzling ball of dark magic over his head. He scrambles away, breathing out a sigh of relief when the wither doesn’t follow.

“Phil, meet me at your house,” Techno shouts. 

Ranboo looks over just in time to watch his book disappear in a flash of bright white; when the light fades, an enderpearl is clutched in Techno’s hand. He throws it, and a moment later, he’s gone.

“I need to get my book back,” Ranboo mutters.

The battlefield stretches before him, uneven and scorched by dark patches of wither poison. Around him, everyone is still fighting, their shouts echoing in his ears. He swallows, narrowing his eyes as he starts towards Phil’s house, desperation welling in his chest.

He needs to get that book.

+++

“Oh, thank the gods,” Techno breathes as Phil ducks into the house, not bothering to completely close the door behind him. “Phil, Phil, give me the potions.”

“Yep.”

Phil holds out his hands; in a ripple of light, three bottles appear in his palms, shimmering with silver-blue liquid. Techno grabs them and tucks them into his belt to replace the potions he’s already used.

“Thank you. Thank you, Phil.” In the distance, the withers wheeze and scream, and people shout, weapons clashing. “We gotta keep distracting ‘em, Phil. Dream needs—”

He cuts himself off abruptly when, just outside the door, there’s the sound of an enderman teleporting. A second later, Ranboo bursts inside, eyes wide and chest heaving.

Techno frowns; the kid looks a lot worse than he did when Techno last saw him, though that could just have something to do with the fact that he’s in the middle of a battle. Ash and dust stain his armor and face, and there are faint, oddly linear burn marks running down his cheeks.

“You have my book,” he gasps, slamming the door behind him.

“Ranboo.” Techno pushes down the adrenaline thrumming through his body at the kid’s sudden appearance. “Ranboo, you’re alright, I’ll give you—” 

In a near-blinding flash of light, he pulls the book he’d found out of his inventory and hands it over. Ranboo grabs it and slumps against the door, clutching it tightly to his chest. When he looks up, Techno is startled to see cloudy, almost pearlescent tears welling in his eyes.

“Thank you.”

Techno sighs. “Get out of here, Ranboo, okay? I don’t have anything against you, you can get out of here, just flee in the battle, no one will know!”

“I—” Ranboo swallows, eyes hard. His tears seem to have disappeared as soon as they came. “Okay.”

He glances at Phil, who inclines his head. With a grim smile, he agrees, “No one will know.”

+++

Techno surveys the ruins of L’manberg, mostly ignoring the somber chatter of everyone who’s still lingering. His eyes catch on Ranboo, who manages to look small beside the crater, and he snorts. The kid startles when Techno clambers down the rubble to stand at his side, but he doesn’t offer a greeting like he normally would. He just continues to stare at the ruins, and Techno sighs internally and crosses his arms.

“Oh, you did not run off at all, you’re just— you’re right here.”

Ranboo glances up at him. So quiet that Techno has to strain to hear him, he mumbles, “I’m— yeah.”

Techno frowns, studying the kid’s face. There are heavy bags beneath his eyes, and beneath the ash staining his skin, linear burns trail down his cheeks.  _ Enderman hybrid, _ Techno thinks, internally wincing when he remembers Ranboo’s tears earlier. He shifts, unsure of how to deal with the sudden concern welling in his chest.

“You— you doin’ alright, man?”

Ranboo doesn’t answer for a long, long moment as he stares at what was L’manberg. When he looks back at Techno, his eyes weary and resigned.

“Same as yesterday.” 

There’s a bitter undercurrent to his words, and Techno narrows his eyes. He doesn’t want to push it, though, especially not right now with everyone listening in on their conversation - no matter how much they try to pretend they aren’t - and so he just forces a smile and a laugh and turns away.

“Yeah, woo, the monotony of life, yeah! Pog!” Above him, Phil laughs, echoing over the ruins. “Mm, every day is an endless cycle, yeah! Hype!”

Jack Manifold starts complaining yet again about the loss of all his gear, and Techno uses the shift in everyone’s attention to glance back over his shoulder. Ranboo is exactly where he’d left him, still staring into the crater. His book - Techno’s kind of curious about it, actually, but it would be rude to ask for it back - is clutched tightly in his hands, his claws digging into the leather cover. As Techno watches, he pulls another book from a holster at his hip, scribbles something down, and then tucks both away. After another moment, he shakes his head and turns away, heading north. Techno stares after him until he disappears behind Jack’s house.

Interesting.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! comments and kudos are greatly appreciated 💛
> 
> some other notes:  
> 1) enderman hybrid ranboo pog! he can teleport but it usually only happens during times of extreme stress/emotion. crying hurts him, and his tears are pearly bc I also hc him as half-ghast, so his tears are like hella watered-down versions of ghast tears.
> 
> 2) it's not important to the fic at all but I hc that Techno and Phil are both gods, so they both have access to inventory, unlike almost everyone else on the world (mortals). when Techno accesses his inventory, the item (dis)appears in a flash of bright white, and when Phil accesses his inventory, the item (dis)appears in a ripple of light. idk, just fun worldbuilding stuff I like to add


End file.
